D Friday, October 2, 2009 METROSPORT 23 today SoCCER (7.45pm unless stated) League of Ireland Premier division Drogheda Utd v Dundalk.................. Galway Utd v Bray............................ Shamrock Rovers v Bohemians 8.00 League of Ireland First division Kildare County v Mervue Utd ... 8.00 Monaghan Utd v S Fingal.......... 8.00 Shelbourne v UCD..................... 8.00 Wexford Youths v Limerick FC .. 8.00 HoRSE RaCING Hexham, Lingfield, Newmarket, Wolverhampton, Gowran Park, Dundalk MotoR RaCING (until Sunday) World Rally Chship Movistar RaCC Rallye de Espana (Salou) RUGBy UNIoN the Magners League: Ulster v Scarlets (7.05) a I B League division one Section a: Garryowen v Shannon (7.30) SatURday SoCCER (3pm unless stated) Barclays Premier League Bolton v Tottenham .......................... Burnley v Birmingham ...................... Hull v Wigan ..................................... Man Utd v Sunderland .............. 5.30 Wolverhampton v Portsmouth.......... Coca-Cola Championship Barnsley v Ipswich ........................... Coventry v Leicester................ 12.30 Crystal Palace v Blackpool............... Derby v Sheff Wed............................ Newcastle v Bristol City ................... Peterborough v Nottm Forest........... Plymouth v Scunthorpe.................... Preston v West Brom............... 12.45 Reading v Middlesbrough ................ Sheff Utd v Doncaster...................... Swansea v QPR................................ Watford v Cardiff .............................. Coca-Cola League one Brentford v Swindon......................... Brighton v Milton Keynes Dons........ Colchester v Huddersfield................ Exeter v Hartlepool........................... Leeds v Charlton .............................. Millwall v Tranmere........................... Norwich v Bristol Rovers.................. Oldham v Yeovil................................ Southampton v Gillingham............... Stockport v Southend ...................... Walsall v Carlisle............................... Wycombe v Leyton Orient................ Coca-Cola League two Barnet v Grimsby.............................. Cheltenham v Notts County............. Chesterfield v Accrington Stanley.... Crewe v Rotherham.......................... Darlington v Macclesfield................. Hereford v Dag & Red ...................... Lincoln City v Aldershot ................... Morecambe v Shrewsbury ............... Northampton v Bradford .................. Port Vale v Bournemouth ................. Torquay v Bury.................................. Clydesdale Bank Premier League Hamilton v St Johnstone.................. Hibernian v Dundee Utd................... Kilmarnock v Aberdeen .................... Motherwell v Falkirk.......................... St Mirren v Hearts............................. Setanta Cup Group 1 Cliftonville v Sligo ...................... 5.00 Setanta Cup Group 3 Linfield v Derry City ................... 5.30 League of Ireland First division Longford Town v Athlone Town. 7.30 Finn Harps v Waterford Utd....... 7.45 HoRSE RaCING Epsom, Fontwell, Wolverhampton, Newmarket, Redcar, Gowran Park RUGBy UNIoN the Magners League (6.30): Newport-Gwent Dgons v Connacht (4.30), Cardiff Blues v Glasgow, Leinster v Munster a I B League division one Section a (2.30): Dolphin v Cork Constitution, Garryowen v Shannon, St Marys College v Clontarf, UL Bohemians v Blackrock College. Section B: Ballymena v Ballynahinch, Galwegians v Dungannon, Old Belvedere v UCC, Young Munster v Buccaneers SUNday SoCCER (3pm unless stated) Barclays Premier League Arsenal v Blackburn .................. 1.30 Chelsea v Liverpool................... 4.00 Everton v Stoke ................................ West Ham v Fulham ......................... Coca-Cola League two Burton Albion v Rochdale................. Clydesdale Bank Premier League Rangers v Celtic ...................... 12.30 HoRSE RaCING Arc de Triomphe, Huntingdon, Kelso, Uttoxeter, Dundalk, Tipperary MotoR CyCLING MotoGP bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal (Estoril) MotoR RaCING FIa Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix (Fiji Speedway) RUGBy UNIoN the Magners League: Ospreys v Edinburgh (4.00) fixtures europa league group c Celtic ...............1 Rapid Vienna . 1 McDonald 21 Jelavic 3 Hamburg .........4 Hap tel-aviv ... 2 P W d L F a Pts Rapid Vienna 2 1 1 0 4 1 4 Hamburg 2 1 0 1 4 5 3 Hapoel Tel-Aviv 2 1 0 1 6 3 3 Celtic 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 group e Roma ................2 CSKa Sofia........0 Fulham ............1 Basle .............. 0 Murphy 57 P W d L F a Pts Fulham 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 Basle 2 1 0 1 2 1 3 Roma 2 1 0 1 2 2 3 CSKA Sofia 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 group i aEK athens ....1 Benfica ........... 0 Bate .................1 Everton ........... 2 Likhtarovich 16 Fellaini 68, Cahill 77 P W d L F a Pts Everton 2 2 0 0 6 1 6 Benfica 2 1 0 1 2 1 3 AEK Athens 2 1 0 1 1 4 3 BATE 2 0 0 2 1 4 0 results Shamrock rovers boss michael oNeill remains quietly confident his side can challenge for the title as he prepares for tonights top-of-the- table 6,000 sell-out clash with Bohemians at Tallaght Stadium. It could scarcely be tighter with champions Bohs leading their Dublin rivals rovers by just one point with seven games to play. We never made any rash statements when we came in about where we could finish, said oNeill, who is in his first year in Irish football. It was very difficult to gauge until a quarter way into the season as I had no knowledge of the other teams. I had only second-hand information on just how strong a team Bohemians were. We saw that at first hand in the first game when they beat us 2-0 at Dalymount. I think weve been in form to challenge for the league from five games into the season. The first five games was very much trying to get a settled side. Since then, our points tally has always been at a level where you are always going to have a chance. Bohs boss Pat Fenlon played in a few big games between the clubs and is relishing the challenge tonight. Its a massive game with both teams being up where they are, Fenlon said. Its been a while since its been like that, maybe in the rDS was the last time. It will be a big game and a good occasion, hopefully. Rovers boss ready for title battle Belief: Hoops manager oNeill league of ireland Longevity: Wenger VEtERaN midfielder Nick Barmby is to be Hulls captain in the continued absence of injured club skipper Ian ashbee. tigers boss Phil Brown has already given the armband to George Boateng, Michael turner, Paul McShane and Ibrahima Sonko this term, but Barmby is a permanent choice. Barmby, 35, has started just two of Hulls nine games this season, both in the Carling Cup. But Brown said: Hes matured into a leader. THIERRY HENRY admits he dreams of returning to Arsenal one day and working again under Arsene Wenger. The France striker spent eight years at the club before joining Barcelona but still has a big love for the Gunners. I always said you go back to where you belong. I never stopped saying I love Arsenal and I will one day go back there, he said. How? I dont know. Maybe as a waterboy. Who knows? I just love the club and I will go back. Wenger this week has become Arsenals longest- serving manager and Henry added: I dont see Arsenal without Arsene. It is a pleasure to play and train with him. He is a great human being on top of everything. TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp wants Gareth Bale to go from strength to strength after ending his Premier League hoodoo last week. The 20-year-old Wales left-back waited more than two years for his first league win for Spurs, with Redknapp putting him on for the final stages of the 5-0 home win over Burnley. Redknapp said ahead of tomorrows trip to Bolton: I thought we needed to break that hoodoo. Its affected him, I think, but he could be a top player. BIRMINGHaM boss alex McLeish has accused his players of being naive. Sloppy defending has proved costly in recent Blues matches and McLeish knows it is crucial to avoid such mistakes ahead of tomorrows clash with Burnley at turf Moor. they have got to learn from these naive moments, said McLeish. I did it myself when I was a young player. thats what the Roger Johnsons and Scott danns in the current side have got to do. oh Vienna! Hoops have it all to do after draw By NEIL MaCKay soccer EURoPa LEaGUE FOOTBALLDigest CeltiC failed to gain closure on 25 years of hurt as they were held 1-1 by old foes Rapid Vienna in their europa league clash at Parkhead. the home side were shocked to lose a goal to Rapid striker Nikica Jelavic after only three minutes but recovered to level in the 20th minute through Scott McDonald. Celtic find themselves bottom of GroupCwithonepointaftertwogames and face Hamburg at home later in the month. But they would probably have swapped any possible success against the Germans for a win over Rapid after losing their 1984 european Cup Win- ners Cup tie after being controversially forced to replay the second leg. Fans displayed banners with words such as We Still Hate Rapid and Cheats, liars, Conmen. it added to an already rancorous atmosphere but the Viennese side responded with an early goal which stunned the home support. Jelavic raced on to a pass from skip- per Steffen Hofmann and rifled an angled shot past the Artur Boruc and into the far corner of the net. McDonald levelled when his low drive found the corner of the net but Rapid continued to look dangerous, Boruc producing a fine finger-tip save from Hofmanns curling free-kick. Shaun Maloney had a one-on-one ef- fort saved just after the break, while Rapid had calls for a penalty waved away after Caldwell tangled with Jelavic. Both sides had chances to win it late on but a draw was a fair result between two evenly-matched teams. Celtic: Boruc, Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Daniel Fox, McGeady (McGinn 81), Brown, NGuemo (Robson 81), Maloney (Killen 81), McDonald, Samaras. Rapid Vienna: Payer, Dober, Patocka, Soma, Katzer, Heikkinen, Pehlivan, Kavlak, Hoffmann, Boskovic (Drazan 63), Jelavic. att: 42,013 Referee: Bruno Miguel Duarte Paixao (Portugal). celtic 1 rapid vienna 1 EVERtoN shrugged off the loss of ten first team players to record a superb victory in the Europa League in Belarus thanks to tim Cahills goal 13 minutes from time. In the process, david Moyes side have taken a major step towards securing a place in the next stage after their second successive win in the group. Cahill (pictured) capped a superb comeback after Marouane Fellaini had hauled the toffees level in the 68th minute with his first goal of the season following dmitri Likhtarovichs opener for the hosts. Elsewhere, Fulham also went top of Group E after danny Murphys 57th-minute strike earned the Londoners a 1-0 win at home to Basle. Cahill bags Toffees winner Picture:EMPICS Henry keen to reunite with Wenger at Arsenal index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html